Geist Korps
The Corpse is a Hobbesian nightmare: men engaging in constant warfare without any kind of central authority; which is just how the cold-blooded killers of Geist Korps like it. Let the Blacks and the Blues, the Greens and the Reds settle for scraps of ancestral territory; let the other interloper gangs fight to impress clients; Geist Korps endures the slaughter to train an army of conquest, to forge a sword that cleaves through all opposition. History Conrad Brandt is a man with many enemies; distant and entrenched, so far beyond his dreams of revenge that the tyranny of their memories are seared into his brain. His wrath was stymied, but not for lack of ability or potential. Conrad believed that it was possible to achieve his ambitions with an army, but he had little money and few people are interested in devoting themselves to another man's vengeance pro bono. Conrad traveled further and further from his enemies, eventually passing into Texas and then into the Corpse. Here he saw people fighting for every reason, any reason; drawn together by inspirational warlords or tribal ties. Conrad lacked both charisma and kinship, but he thought he could get by without them. He scouted the ruins until he found a small gang on the ropes and began trailing them, watching them fight. One day, when the gang was on the losing end of a particularly grueling fight; Conrad stepped in. He rigged the field behind the lines of the gang's enemy with a few booby-traps, took out their captain with a few well-placed shots from concealment, then announced his presence with a rocket fired into the midst of the panicked enemy. The remainder either set off traps or were picked off with Conrad's rifle. When the smoke cleared, the gang began looking for their savior and Conrad allowed them to find him; at which point he asked to join their gang, calling the slaughter his resume. The gang eagerly accepted and Conrad fell in. The gang turned to Conrad for training in short order, and the leader frequently consulted him for battle plans. Conrad demonstrated absolute loyalty to his new comrades, and did his utmost to improve their straits. All the while he brought the leadership around to his way of thinking. He had no intention of stealing leadership of the gang through any nefarious backstabbing or double-dealing, simply trusting in the nature of The Corpse to do his work for him. Conrad's patience was rewarded sooner than he imagined, when his new boss died in a shootout with the Tek-Lords a mere five months later. He was made the new leader by unanimous consent. One of the first things Conrad did was use the lion's share of the gang's accumulated wealth to assemble an intimidating uniform for everyone in his group. He then approached the Corpse Heralds and rechristened his group, calling them the Geist Korps. He then stepped up the newly minted Korps' drilling, teaching them small-units tactics that he had been withholding. Finally, Geist Korps burst onto the scene with a dramatic attack on a group of Red slavers. The slaves were rescued, freed, and told to spread the word that the Korps was available for hire and got results. Activities & Interests Geist Korps behaves differently compared to other forces in the Corpse. They put a low priority on territory, and move quite frequently throughout the ruins. Their scouting and constant movement relative to the other bands allows them to punch into a weak spot in someone else's land and stay there just long enough to fulfill their goals. This movement also makes them difficult for heralds to find though, so they only occasionally take paying jobs. Their main interests seem to be poaching talent from other groups, or otherwise depriving them of said talent; and mastering small-group tactics and urban combat. When they do take paying work, they never take jobs with open-ended deadlines or nebulous objectives. It's always things like "attack location X and kill Y," or "escort the client from point A to point B." Membership The Korps' numbers fluctuate like any other force in the Corpse, but it seems to have a solid anchor of some seventy-five men; granted it's not the same seventy-five men in perpetuity. The Korps accepts recruits year-round, but the initiation and hazing process is rather brutal. It's not unknown for as few as three in ten to survive the process, which is intended to erode prior bonds and incompatible ideals. To an outsider, a member of the Korps in uniform is indistinguishable from any other member of the same rank; this is by design. Conrad discourages individual initiative and indeed, individuality; preferring to substitute Korps traditions and group mentality for personality. Furthermore, discipline for infractions and rewards for excellence are borne out by entire squadrons rather than those specifically responsible. Notable Members *Ike Arts Category:Groups Category:Texas Category:Mercenaries